Door-stop.



J. E. RALSTON.

DOOR STOP. APPLICATION FILED JAN- 26, 1918.

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J. E. RALSTON.

000R STOP.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1918- 1,271,363. Patented July 2,1918. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2-.

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JOHN E. nALsron, on vmonmrns, INDIANA.

DOOR-STOP.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented July 2, 1918 Application filed January 26, 1918. Serial No. 213,991.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. RALs'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vincennes, in the county of Knox and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Door-Stops, of which the following is a specification.

It sometimes happens that highwaymen enter banks and other business establishments, and force the cashier or those in charge within the vault, wherein'they are confined when the door of the vault is locked.

It is the chief characteristicof this invention to provide an element of means for preventing the door of the vault from being closed by unauthorized persons, the means for actuating said element being disposed in some secretive place and known only to those employed in the bank or other firm.

The'nature and advantages of the invention will be better understood when the following description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, the invention residing in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as claimed.

In the drawings forming part of this specification like numerals of reference'indicate similar parts in the several views and wherein Figure 1 is a view in elevation'of one form of the invention. I

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the door prevent the closing of a door;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of the invention; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of this modified form.

Referring to the drawings in detail A indicates generally a vault and B the swing ing door thereof. Positioned beneath the floor or surface indicated at C, is a platform 10 disposed adjacent the door B when the proect through an opening in the floor or sur ace when elevated, to assume an obstructing position with respect to the door,

and to prevent the latter from being closed. Rislng from the opposite end of the lever 12 isa foot operated element 14 which normally projects through an opening 15 in the floor or surface, and adapted to be depressed by the foot, when it is desired to elevate the door obstructing element 13, to its active posltion. Pivote'd upon the floor or surface is a plate 16 which is adapted to overlie the opening 15 in the floor when the foot operated element has been positioned beneath the floor or surface. The extremity of the lever 12 from which the door obstructing element rises is suitably weighted, and consequently tends to assume a position beneath the floor, but when the element 13 has been elevated to an active position, and the plate 16 swung to cover the opening 15 in thefloor, the tendency of the element 13 to I gravitate to an inactive position is prevented Rising from one end of the platform is a stop lug 17 which limits the fall of the door obstructing element 13' to an inactive position.

In order to properly guide the door obstructing element 13 in its movement, there is pivotally secured to the standard 11 as shown at 11, one end of a bar 12', the opposite end of this bar being pivotally secured as at 13 to the lower end of the door obstructing element 13. This provldes a substantially rectangular pivotally connected frame mounted beneath the floor and including the door obstructing element 13, which latter is operated and guided by the frame for movement into and out of position with respect to the door beam.

Normally the foot operated element projects above the floor in some secretive place in the room, where it cannot be viewed by those who enter the bank or establishment to transact business, while the door obstructing element 13 and the other operating parts of the invention are normally arranged beneath the floor or surface. When the door B of the vault is opened, and it is desired to maintain the door in opened position while attending to business within the vault, the cashier or other person in charge, approaches the foot operated element 14, depressing the latter beneath the floor or surface, and swinging the plate 16 over the opening 15 through which the element 14 operates. When the element 14 is depressed the door obstructing element 13 is elevated through an opening in the fioor to a position whereby it prevents the door B from being closed. When it is'desired to close the door the plate 16 is swung upon its pivot to uncover the opening 15, whereupon the element 13 will gravitate to its inactive position beneath the floor or surface, simultaneously elevating the foot operated element 14 to its normal position above the floor. As above stated the lug 17 limits the fall of the lever and element 13 to their normal position. I

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the arm 18 which is pivotally mounted in the same manner hereinabove described, may be electrioally actuated to adjust the door obstructing element 19 to either an active or an inactive position. Tn this form of the invention the mechanism is wholly disposed beneath the floor or surface normally, the foot operated element 14 described above being eliminated in this connection as is also the plate 16. Mounted upon the platform 20 beneaththe free end of the lever 18 is an electromagnet 21 connected in circuit as shown by means of the wires 22, which circuit includes a push button 23. Secured to the free extremity of the lever 18 is an armature 24 which is attracted by the electromagnet when the latter is energized, thus moving the lever 18 upon its pivot, and elevat-- ing the door obstructing element through an opening in the floor to its active position. Pivoted upon the platform is a spring pressed latch element 25 disposed to snap over the armature 24 when the latter is brought into the vicinity of the latch element, whereby the latter serves to hold this end of the lever lowered, and the door obstructing element elevated in active position. When it is desired to close the door, the latch element 25 is retracted out of engagement with the armature 24, through the instrumentality of an electromagnet 26 disposed in the vicinity of the latch'element as shown. The electromagnet 26 is connected in circuit by means of a wire 27 bridging the wires 22, and an additional wire 28 leading from the magnet and connected to one of the wires 22 as shown. The circuit for the electromagnet 26 also includes a push button 28,

which when actuated energizes the electromagnet 26, which latter draws the latch element away from the armature 24, thus allowing the Weighted extremity of the lever 18 to gravitate to a position whereby the door obstructing element will be disposed beneath the floor or surface. It is of course to be understood that the push buttons 23 and 28 are to be disposed in some secretive place, and may if desired be arranged in a room other than the room which contains the vault.

While it is believed that from the foregoing description the nature and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent, I desire to have it understood that what is herein shown and described is not considered restrictive, and that such changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to as fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

; in an inactive position, means for adjusting said lever to move the actuating element to an active position, a spring pressed latch element engaging the lever in one position to hold the said element in its active position,

and means for efi'ecting a release of said latch, whereby said lever automatically assumes its normal position.

2. The combination with a hinged door, of a vertically movable door obstructing element adapted to be moved into the path of the door, a pivoted operating lever having one end pivotally connected to said element, means located at the opposite end of said lever for controlling the position of the door obstructing element and a guide bar having one end pivotally secured to the door obstructing element and its opposite end pivotally secured to a stationary point to guide the door obstructing element in its movement.

3. The combination with a hinged door, of a rectangular frame mounted for vertical movement and comprising side bars and end bars pivotally connected together, one of said end bars being extended to provide an obstruction adapted to be moved into the path of said door, one of the side bars being extended to form a lever and means engageable with the lever for controlling the posi" JOHN E. RALSTON. 

